Levels of genetic diversity of the malaria parasites and multiclonal infections are correlated with transmission intensity. In order to monitor the effect of strengthened malaria control efforts in recent years at the China-Myanmar border area, we followed the temporal dynamics of genetic diversity of three polymorphic antigenic markers msp1, msp2, and glurp in the Plasmodium falciparum populations. Despite reduced malaria prevalence in the region, parasite populations exhibited high levels of genetic diversity. Genotyping 258 clinical samples collected in four years detected a total of 22 PCR size alleles. Multiclonal infections were detected in 45.7% of the patient samples, giving a minimum multiplicity of infection of 1.41. The majority of alleles experienced significant temporal fluctuations through the years. Haplotype diversity based on the three-locus genotypes ranged from the lowest in 2009 at 0.33 to the highest in 2010 at 0.80. Sequencing of msp1 fragments from 36 random samples of five allele size groups detected 13 different sequences, revealing an additional layer of genetic complexity. This study suggests that despite reduced prevalence of malaria infections in this region, the parasite population size and transmission intensity remained high enough to allow effective genetic recombination of the parasites and continued maintenance of genetic diversity.
K. galanga is an aromatic medicinal herb. It is locally to India and distributed in China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. K. galanga is a Traditional Chinese Herb Medicine (TCHM), which has been applied to treat cold, dry cough, toothaches, rheumatism, hypertension and so on. In addition, it has been used widely as spices since its highly aromas. The aim of this review is to compile and update the current progresses of ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of K. galanga. All the data on K. galanga were based on different classical literary works, multiple electronic databases including SciFinder, Web of Science, PubMed, etc. The results showed that ninety-seven compounds have been identified from rhizome of K. galanga, including terpenoids, phenolics, cyclic dipeptides, flavonoids, diarylheptanoids, fatty acids and esters. Modern pharmacology studies revealed that extracts or secondary metabolites of the herb possessed anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-tumorous, anti-bacterial, and anti-angiogenesis effects, which were closely related to its abundant ethnomedicinal uses. In conclusion, although previous research works have provided various information of K. galanga, more in-depth studies are still necessary to systemically evaluate phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, toxicity and quality control of this herb.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that significantly affects patient quality of life. Galangin is an extract with multiple health benefits, including anti‑oxidative, anti‑proliferative, immunoprotective and cardioprotective effects. However, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no detailed studies have investigated its regulatory effects on the nuclear factor (NF)‑κB/NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) signaling pathway. The present study aimed to investigate the protective mechanism of galangin in RA fibroblast‑like synoviocytes with regards to the NF‑κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. Human RA fibroblast‑like synovium cells (RAFSCs) were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce inflammation. The levels of interleukin (IL)‑1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‑α, IL‑18, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase (COX)‑2, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and nitric oxide (NO) were measured by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay or western blotting in the absence or presence of different concentrations of galangin. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were additionally evaluated. Furthermore, factors involved in the NF‑κB/NLRP3 pathway, including NLRP3, apoptosis‑associated speck‑like protein containing A, IL‑1β, pro‑caspase‑1, caspase‑1, phosphorylated (p)‑NF‑κB inhibitor α and p‑NF‑κB, were assessed by western blotting. The results revealed that LPS significantly stimulated IL‑1β, TNF‑α, IL‑18, PGE2, NO, iNOS, COX‑2 and NF‑κB/NLRP3 factor expression, compared with the control. SOD activity was reduced. Pre‑treatment with galangin significantly attenuated the effects of LPS, and galangin was demonstrated to have effective anti‑oxidative properties. In conclusion, galangin protected RAFSCs through downregulation of the NF‑κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway. These findings suggested that galangin may provide a novel direction for the development of RA therapies in the future.
Plasmodium falciparum from the Greater Mekong subregion has evolved resistance to the artemisinin-based combination therapy dihydroartemisinin and the partner drug piperaquine. To monitor the potential westward spread or independent evolution of piperaquine resistance, we evaluated the in vitro susceptibility of 120 P. falciparum isolates collected at the China–Myanmar border during 2007–2016. The parasite isolates displayed a relatively wide range of piperaquine susceptibility estimates. While 56.7% of the parasites showed bimodal drug response curves, all but five generated area-under-the-curve (AUC) estimates consistent with a susceptible phenotype. Using the piperaquine survival assay (PSA), 5.6% parasites showed reduced susceptibility. Of note, parasites from 2014–2016 showed the highest AUC value and the highest proportion with a bimodal curve, suggesting falling effectiveness in these later years. Unsupervised K-mean analysis of the combined data assigned parasites into three clusters and identified significant correlations between IC50, IC90, and AUC values. No parasites carried the E415G mutation in a putative exo-nuclease, new mutations in PfCRT, or amplification of the plasmepsin 2/3 genes, suggesting mechanisms of reduced piperaquine susceptibility that differ from those described in other countries of the region. The association of increased AUC, IC50, and IC90 values with major PfK13 mutations (F446I and G533S) suggests that piperaquine resistance may evolve in these PfK13 genetic backgrounds. Additionally, the Pfmdr1 F1226Y mutation was associated with significantly higher PSA values. Further elucidation of piperaquine resistance mechanisms and continuous surveillance are warranted.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.